Biobanking is a relatively new concept in Egypt. Building a good relationship with different stakeholders is essential for the social sustainability of biobanks. To establish this relationship, it is necessary to assess the attitude of different groups towards this concept. The objective of this work is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and opinions of Egyptian patients towards biobanking issues. We designed a structured survey to be administered to patients coming to the outpatient clinics in 3 university hospitals in Egypt. The (...) survey included questions estimating the level of knowledge about the term “Biobank”, together with questions about the attitudes and opinions about related issues. Two hundred and fifty-nine patients participated in the survey. Eighty-one percent of participants reported that they never heard about the term before. About 85% expressed that they would be willing to donate their samples for research and about 87% thought that sample donation did not contradict their religious beliefs. Fifty eight percent were willing to participate in a genetic research project, 27.8% supported sharing their sample with pharmaceutical companies, and 32.4% agreed to share their samples with institutions abroad. Although there is limited knowledge about biobanking among Egyptian patients, many had a positive attitude towards sample donation and didn’t show religious concerns against it. However, they showed concerns regarding participation in genetic research and with sharing their samples across borders or with pharmaceutical companies. Public education about biobanking is possible, taking into consideration the specific cultural and legal framework in Egypt. (shrink)

carrington places race and racism at the center of his densely written analysis of science fiction, fantasy, utopia, and other forms of popular culture. He moves easily between a broad range of forms, which include memoirs, television series, comic books, novels, novelizations, fandom and fanzines, and short fiction and fiction circulated on the Internet. Popular culture helps us to construct notions of identity and race, and for carrington many constituent groups, notably fans, develop its key concepts and values.Speculative fiction is (...) for carrington a framework that links these various forms of popular culture. Here, SF is a genre different from literature, as it is situated closer to, and is more deeply... (shrink)

This paper introduces the new novel four-parameter Weibull distribution named as the Marshall–Olkin alpha power Weibull distribution. Some statistical properties of the distribution are examined. Based on Type-I censored and Type-II censored samples, maximum likelihood estimation, maximum product spacing, and Bayesian estimation for the MOAPW distribution parameters are discussed. Numerical analysis using real data sets and Monte Carlo simulation are accomplished to compare various estimation methods. This novel model’s supremacy upon some famous distributions is explained using two real data sets (...) and it is shown that the MOAPW model can achieve better fits than other competitive distributions. (shrink)

Modelling data in applied areas particularly in reliability engineering is a prominent research topic. Statistical models play a vital role in modelling reliability data and are useful for further decision-making policies. In this paper, we study a new class of distributions with one additional shape parameter, called a new generalized exponential-X family. Some of its properties are taken into account. The maximum likelihood approach is adopted to obtain the estimates of the model parameters. For assessing the performance of these estimators, (...) a comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation study is carried out. The usefulness of the proposed family is demonstrated by means of a real-life application representing the failure times of electronic components. The fitted results show that the new generalized exponential-X family provides a close fit to data. Finally, considering the failure times data, the Bayesian analysis and performance of Gibbs sampling are discussed. The diagnostics measures such as the Raftery–Lewis, Geweke, and Gelman–Rubin are applied to check the convergence of the algorithm. (shrink)

Juzʼ al-awwal. al-Qaḍāyā wa-al-ḥudūd wa-al-ʻalāqāt wa-al-istidlāl al-mubāshir. Naẓarīyat al-qiyās al-Ārisṭīyah -- juzʼ al-thānī. Falsafat al-ʻulūm.

Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, Carlos Almaraz, Robert Arneson, John Baldessari, Lewis Baltz, Robert Bechtle, Jeff Brouws, Laurie Brown, Angela Buenning, Darlene Campbell, Mark Campbell, Gary Carlos, Fandra Chang, Stephane Couturier, Robert Dawson, Joe Deal, Richard Diebenkorn, John Divola, Beth Yarnelle Edwards, Kota Ezawa, William A. Garnett, Jeff Gillette, Joe Goode, Todd Hido, David Hockney, Salomon Huerta, Robert Isaacs, Thomas Lawson, Jean Lowe, Alex MacLean, Richard Meisinger, Jr., Richard Misrach, Rick Monzon, Barrie Mottishaw, Martin Mull, Deborah Oropallo, Bill Owens, Rondal Partridge, (...) John Register, Ed Ruscha, Peter Saul, Mary Snowden, Joel Sternfeld, Larry Sultan, Rudy Vanderlans, Camilo Jose Vergara, Henry Wessel, Amir Zaki. (shrink)

The article discusses the novel 2025. An-Nida al-Akhir [2025. The Last Call] written by a young Egyptian journalist and writer born in 1982 - Mustafa al-Husayni. The novel was published in early 2011, between the fall of Zayn al-Abidin Ibn Ali in Tunisia and of Husni Mubarak in Egypt. It describes a revolution against the regime of Jamal al-Mubarak, son of Husni, spurred by a group of young Egyptians. The story takes place in 2025 and anticipates the development (...) of the political situation in Egypt and the Middle East between 2011 and 2025 in a utopian/dystopian manner. Alongside Utopia by Ahmad Khalid Tawfik and the poetry of Usama al-Abnubi and Abd ar-Rahman al-Abnudi, al-Husayni’s book is considered to be a forecast of the Arab Spring in Egypt. (shrink)

This study described the relationships between academic class and student moral sensitivity and reasoning and between curriculum design components for ethics education and student moral sensitivity and reasoning. The data were collected from freshman (n = 506) and senior students (n = 440) in eight baccalaureate nursing programs in South Korea by survey; the survey consisted of the Korean Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and the Korean Defining Issues Test. The results showed that moral sensitivity scores in patient-oriented care and conflict were (...) higher in senior students than in freshman students. Furthermore, more hours of ethics content were associated with higher principled thinking scores of senior students. Nursing education in South Korea may have an impact on developing student moral sensitivity. Planned ethics content in nursing curricula is necessary to improve moral sensitivity and moral reasoning of students. (shrink)

Teachers’ positive attitudes are an essential element for the successful inclusion of students who have disabilities in schools with their peers who do not have disabilities. The current quantitative study examines middle school teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools in Saudi Arabia and the factors that affect their attitudes. Middle school teachers from schools in Riyadh responded to a questionnaire regarding their opinions relative to the integration of students with disabilities. The results indicate that (...) middle school teachers have a neutral attitude toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools. Moreover, teacher-related factors such as gender, position, and experience do not affect teacher attitudes toward inclusion. In contrast, training in inclusion plays a significant role in middle school teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities. The implications of the results and suggestions for further research are discussed in the study. (shrink)

Dans la théorie kantienne de la sensibilité, les activités synthétiques de l’imagination jouent un rôle essentiel. Il s’agit ici d’établir l’authenticité de la distinction kantienne entre deux activités synthétiques fondamentales, d’étudier leur rapport avec la sensibilité et d’éclairer ainsi le concept kantien de la réceptivité et la distinction entre sens interne et sens externe dans la terminologie kantienne.

Le problème du schématisme transcendantal est le moment de la Critique de la raison pure où la question de la signification des catégories pousse Kant à remettre en question l’indépendance de l’imagination productive et de l’intuition à l’égard de l’entendement, position que la première rédaction de la Déduction transcendantale partageait encore avec « L’esthétique transcendantale » et la Dissertation de 1770. Ce revirement devient plus explicite et résolu dans la seconde rédaction de la Déduction transcendantale, sans que l’imagination productive, la (...) faculté des intuitions pures, se trouve pour autant réduite à une fonction de l’entendement : si « la synthèse transcendantale de l’imagination » est « un effet de l’entendement sur la sensibilité » selon cette rédaction ( KRV, B 152), c’est parce qu’elle résulte de la détermination a priori, par ce dernier, de certaines activités représentatives pré-conceptuelles dont Kant reconnaît la présence dans la sensibilité animale. (shrink)

Nous tentons ici de démontrer que le concept du temps absolu, tel qu’il intervient dans le texte des « Analogies de l’expérience », renvoie à une idée régulatrice de la raison qui joue, dans la théorie kantienne de l’expérience, un rôle parallèle à celui qu’attribue Kant à l’idée régulatrice de l’espace absolu dans les Premiers principes métaphysiques de la science de la nature. Dans ce cadre, il s’agit d’établir une distinction nette entre l’idée du temps absolu et l’intuition pure du (...) temps, ainsi que de démontrer que les principes dynamiques de l’entendement pur et, corrélativement, la possibilité de l’expérience, reposent sur cette idée. (shrink)

An important, but relatively neglected, aspect of human theory of mind is emotion inference: understanding how and why a person feels a certain why is central to reasoning about their beliefs, desires and plans. The authors review recent work that has begun to unveil the structure and determinants of emotion inference, organizing them within a unified probabilistic framework.

Purpose This study aims to statistically verify the links of income and education with information and communication technology diffusion across 191 countries of the world taking into account a total of 9 indicators best representing the socio-economic variables. Design/methodology/approach Multivariate regression analysis was used as a prime method to rigorously test the relationships of income and education with ICT diffusion across 191 countries. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyze and predict patterns in the data. Findings The (...) results support the hypotheses that income and education are positively related to ICT diffusion. The findings statistically confirm that poverty is a leading cause of digital divide worldwide. Research limitations/implications Academic, policy and practice groups should work in collaboration to fight against digital divide. Present results also imply that digital divide shall never end but rather it can be controlled to an extent with multiple collaborative efforts. Originality/value Prior research assignments on the digital divide concentrate on exploring the links between few socio-economic and ICT variables in select few regions theoretically. The present work addresses this literature gap by developing and testing two hypotheses to statistically investigate the relationships between a broad set of socio-economic and ICT indicators. (shrink)

Purpose This paper aims to identify organizations’ information security issues and to explore dynamic, organizational culture and contingency theories to develop an implementable framework for information security systems in human service organizations based soundly in theory and practice. Design/methodology/approach The paper includes a critical review of global information security management issues for HSOs and relevant multi-disciplinary organizational theories to address them. Findings Effective information security management can be particularly challenging to HSO because of their use of volunteer staff in a (...) borderless electronic environment. Organizations’ lack of recognition of the need for staff awareness of information security threats and for training in secure work practices, particularly in terms of maintaining clients’ privacy and confidentiality, is a major issue. The dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation, organizational culture theory and contingency theory were identified as the most suitable theoretical perspectives to address this issue and underpin an effective information security management framework for HSOs. Research limitations/implications The theory-based framework presented here has not been tested in practice. Such testing will be carried out in further research. Originality/value Currently, there is no framework for information security systems in HSOs. The framework developed here provides a foundation on which HSO can build information security systems specific to their needs. (shrink)

Purpose This study aims to explore the association between internet addiction and problem behaviours on social networking sites using the general strain theory. Design/methodology/approach Using the purposive sampling method, a survey was conducted, which collected data from 414 college students studying in two public universities in South Australia. The Delphi method was used to develop the questionnaire used for the survey. Findings 'Results of this research indicated a significant association between internet addiction and problem behaviours on SNS. Respondents who had (...) engaged in problem behaviours on SNS had high internet addiction test scores. On the basis of this finding, the present research argues that the general strains associated with the suffering of newly emerging challenges such as internet addiction might contribute to victimisation and deviant and problem behaviours on SNS in specific and possibly in cyberspace in general. Research limitations/implications Results of the present study need to be interpreted cautiously due to many limitations it has. This research is a cross-sectional study, which might not adequately explain the associations between internet addiction and problem behaviours on SNS. Longitudinal studies involving larger samples might have added significant value to this study. The present study uses purposive sampling technique, which has limited its generalizability, and its findings may not be generalised to large populations. Originality/value Limited information is available pertaining to the association between problem behaviours on SNS and internet addiction. The present study is a pioneering effort, which argues that rapid popularity of SNS is likely to increase internet addiction and the frustration of not getting proper treatment for their internet addiction might lead to deviant behaviours on SNS. (shrink)

Purpose This paper aims to explore how older people in developed and developing countries are affected by the grey digital divide. It argues country type and culture influence older people’s willingness to access and learn internet skills. Using the knowledge from researchers informs policy, funding and delivery of appropriate skilling to minimize this divide. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature search using specific keywords to locate digital divide research, specifically pertaining to older people across country types. Findings Despite increased internet access and (...) affordability, older people still face challenges in learning internet skills. Country type, economic challenges and cultural beliefs need to be considered in minimizing the grey divide. Governments recognize the importance of funding such teaching but evidence-based research must continue to inform policy to maximize funding and solve the many physical age and cultural issues affecting older people’s access to internet skills learning. Originality/value This paper argues that research in developing countries into minimizing the grey digital divide is a crucial undertaking. As the internet continues growing in developing countries, finding solutions that consider cultural and age differences issues is crucial to the success of having internet literate societies that have growing populations of older people seeking to use it. (shrink)

The Druze movement originated at the beginning of the eleventh century and developed out of the Ismā'īlī faction of Shī'ī Islām. Founded by the Ismā'īlī Ḥamza ibn 'Alī, the Tawḥīd is a philosophical and spiritual path that incorporates the fundamentals of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism referred to in the Qur'ān, together with the ancient philosophies of Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and others. It is a synthesis and a unification of the most contradictory thoughts, a synthesis that leads to the real (...) Tawḥīd or "third course".The specificity of the Tawḥīd consists in establishing a bridge between monotheism and non-dualism. To say that God is One does not merely mean... (shrink)

This study aims to explore whether a discrepancy exists between the ideal and communicated (disclosed) ethical identity of Islamic banks in Asia and, further, whether there is any association of communicated ethical identity with financial performance. To achieve the objectives, the study analyses data derived from annual reports of Islamic banks in Asia for the period 2006–2010. The results suggest that out of the seven banks studied, three of them are above average and the rest suffer from disparity between the (...) ideal and communicated ethical identities. Further, the study shows that the disclosure of a vision and mission statement; board of directors and top management; zakah, charity, and benevolent loans; and Shari’ah supervisory boards are negatively associated with performance, while the disclosure of products and services and commitment toward employees are positively associated with performance. (shrink)

Let us begin with Richard Rorty's question: how can we speak of “us,” how to invoke a universal and abstract “we”, when the people of the earth are separated from each other by so many inequalities and injustices? This is a crucial question, and one that it is a direct descendant of pragmatic inquiry. The essential aim of this kind of analysis, Dewey said, was less to “reach ultimate reality” than to “clarify human ideas in relation to the epoch's social (...) conflicts.”. (shrink)

Machery's dismissive position on parsimony requires that we examine especially carefully the data he provides as evidence for his complex triple-system account. We use the prototype-exemplar debate as an example of empirical findings which may not, in fact, support a multiple-systems account. We discuss the importance of considering complexity in scientific theory.

Adolescents develop the ability to reason through and rationalize their choices in accordance with their personal goals and beliefs as they progress through their teenage years. This concept of ‘em...

Ibn al-ʻArabī, 1165-1240; views on freedom; Sufism; Islamic philosophy.